Tell me how to organise paper

[thelegohooverer]

I’m not sure I’m putting this in the right section but that’s my problem with paper as well

I really don’t “get” files and organising systems. I can’t always work out what is worth filing, and what’s not. And as soon as something goes into a pile it takes a miracle for me to deal with it again.

I’d love to hear from organiser people who aren’t baffled by this, but also from anyone with paper issues or quirky systems too.

I’ve got heaps better in recent years but my brain fizzles when I look at eg the car insurance papers - should that be filed by year, under car, under insurance, in a fire proof box to be grabbed in an emergency, photographed and shredded, kept in the car, never ever kept in the car…..etc

Me too :(

We have a box file with plastic wallets inside - each got a different payment e.g water/ home insurance etc. We go through the file every year when renewals are coming up then get rid of the old stuff. You don't need the insurance in the car, but keep the number and name of insurance on your phone/ piece of paper in the car in case you get into an accident. If you can keep a shredder near the door, then just de with anything you can as it comes in. I do have a "to do" box, but you'd need to plan in some time once a week/ fortnight to go through if you think you'd forget

I have folders with labelled sections. And I put things in each section in date order.
Examples of my sections are:
Payslips/P60s/Tax
Car insurance
House insurance
NatWest account
Mortgage account
Student loans
British Gas

I could go on, but you get the idea. I keep everything in a big pile and every now and then go through and either shred or keep, which is when it goes in it’s section.

To add to my post, Basically you need to design a system that makes sense to you, so if you need a document you know where it will be.

I used to struggle with this, but now i just have a box a bit bigger than A4 for birth certificates, house deeds, passports etc. I have a shoe box with some sentimental papers.

Everything else is online. Bank statements - on an app. Same with gas/elec/water. All insurances, broadband etc online. Payslips online. I have (virtual) folders and every time I save a car insurance certificate or whatever, I delete the old one.

Oh, and whenever i buy something that has a manual, I download the pdf, rename it coffee machine or whatever and then put in the (virtual) manuals folder..

Should add that we have a family Dropbox and all the folders are in there, so accessible to anyone who needs them.

I scan and shred almost everything. We only need 1 concertina folder for the few documents where paper copies are still required.

During the year, I throw everything received (which is far less than it used to be!) into one box. In January, I go through the box, throw out what doesn't need to be kept, and put the rest into relevant sections of a concertina file.

I liked this. I’m going to try this. I bloody hate paper/filing.

www.aslobcomesclean.com/2021/08/the-best-paper-clutter-solution-ive-ever-tried-and-ive-tried-them-all/

Thank you! Lots to think about.

I think if you are not good at this then you need the simplest system possible or you just won’t do it.
Having spent years, and lots of money on various boxes /files/ whatever - that I was convinced would magically make me into an organised person, I now have one folder for everything I need to keep long term - birth certificates, car V5s, and so on, and a box on a shelf for pretty much everything else. On the off chance I need anything, it will be in that box. Somewhere.
I planned to go through it periodically and take out old stuff that’s no longer needed at all, but of course I never have.

The warranties downloaded idea is genius. I will almost certainly never get round to doing this.